Circulate
Comments on Four Articles Including
“The Production Situation of Wang Guofan’s Commune
Has Been Consistently Good”
(6 August 1959)

[I] This refers to four articles published in *Economic News* and submitted for review on 5 August 1959 by Hu Qiaomu, alternate secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Mao Zedong’s secretary. Among them, the article “Some Recent Conduct of Soviet Experts” points out that recently many Soviet experts have warmly endorsed certain measures adopted by our Party in economic work. What they find most satisfactory is that all localities have paid attention to implementing production targets and improving product quality. Many experts are now working more actively than before, and the suggestions they put forward have also increased compared to the past. Those who are still not very happy at present are some experts in capital construction units that are to be “dismounted.” The article “The Production Situation of Wang Guofan’s Commune Has Been Consistently Good” states that the Wang Guofan Cooperative in Zunhua County, Hebei Province, which seven years ago was called the “Poor Peasants’ Co-op,” has done very well in both production and livelihood since merging with other agricultural cooperatives last year to form the Jianming People’s Commune, ranking among the best in all work. The long-term reason is that since the cooperative movement began, the local Party organization has consistently adhered to the principle of running the cooperative diligently and frugally, carrying out farmland capital construction year by year, acquiring means of production such as draught animals and large farm tools, and raising agricultural productivity. The immediate reason is that the local Party organization worked in a down-to-earth manner during the high tide of the Great Leap Forward, persisted in the mass line, resisted the “communist wind,” correctly implemented the Party’s policies, encouraged private pig-raising, ran the mess halls well, and practiced the method of “rationing according to the individual, with savings going to the individual.” The leading backbone with Wang Guofan at the core has always maintained close ties with the masses, consulted the masses when matters arose, and sought instructions from higher levels. The article “Who Are the People in the Countryside Who Currently Gossip More?” introduces a recent survey by the CPC Changsha Municipal Committee on the political and ideological conditions of various strata in Linfu Commune on the city’s outskirts, pointing out that those who currently “gossip” more in the countryside are some new upper-middle peasants and old upper-middle peasants; those who truly oppose us are the five categories of elements—landlords, rich peasants, counterrevolutionaries, bad elements, and rightists—but their numbers are very small; the poor peasants and the new and old lower-middle peasants, who make up the largest portion of the rural population, wholeheartedly support the Party and resolutely take the road of communization. The article “What More Should Be Done in Heavy Industry Next Year?” introduces some views put forward by comrades of the State Planning Commission recently when studying next year’s plan on adjusting the internal proportional relations of heavy industry: the increase in iron and steel production should be reduced, and the increase in rolled steel production should be raised; more petroleum and rubber should be imported, more capital construction in these areas should be undertaken, and fewer machines and vehicles that consume petroleum and rubber should be produced; more attention should be paid to developing the basic chemical industry.

Have these four articles printed and distributed to all comrades. Ask the responsible comrades of the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and regions to have the article on the Wang Guofan People’s Commune printed and distributed to all people’s commune Party committees under their jurisdiction, along with an introduction, and request all commune Party committees to study it and see what experiences can be adopted. In my view, all of them can be adopted. First, run the commune diligently and frugally; second, raise more pigs (except for the Hui nationality who do not raise pigs); third, increase the number of large livestock; fourth, increase the number of large farm tools; fifth, the method for mess halls; sixth, work in a down-to-earth manner, seek truth from facts; seventh, consult the masses when matters arise, persist in the mass line. These are all very good. I think that in every prefecture, one can always find one or several communes that are run relatively well, like Wang Guofan’s [1]. Please make a diligent effort to find them, study them once found, write articles about them, publish them openly, and promote them. The article “Who Are the People in the Countryside Who Currently Gossip More?” is also worth reading. This is connected to those people who are currently gossiping more at Lushan.

Mao Zedong
6 August

When printing, pay attention to the order:
1. Soviet Experts...;
2. Wang Guofan...;
3. Who Are the People in the Countryside Who Currently...;
4. What More Should Be Done in Heavy Industry Next Year...

--- Notes

[1] Wang Guofan was then serving as director of the Jianming People’s Commune in Zunhua County, Hebei Province.